Clay-treating furnace.



No. 799,127. PATENTBD SEPT. 12, 1905. D. B. WILLIAMS. CLAY TREATING PURNAGE.

APPLIOATIOH FILED 1133.16, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

PATBNTBD SEPT. 12, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

D B WILLIAMS CLAY IREATING FUBNACE.

WHW/5555.-

UNITED sTATEs 1ei-.TENT ortica.

DICK B. WILLIAMS, yOF SOO'ITDALE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO JOSEPH R. STAUFFER, OF SOOTTILALE, PENNSYLVANIA.

CLAY-TREATING FURNACE..

To (LIZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DICK B. IVILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Scottdale, in the county of lestmoreland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clay-Treating Furnaces, of which the following' is a specification.

This invention relates to the treatment of clays for the production of a highly indurated and refractory product possessing utility as an abrasive and for a variety of other uses.

To this end the invention primarily has in view a simple and practical type of furnace or apparatus designed for manufacturing in quantities the new clay product disclosed in the related application filed July 2, 1903, Serial No. 164,079, and in the companion application filed of even date herewith.

A special object of the invention is to provide a furnace wherein the process of manufacturing the said product can be carried out with the instrumentalities which have been found to secure the best results in the filial product, or, in other words, to provide perfected means whereby the dried clay form may be subjected to the exclusive action of the carbonaceous gas from an incandescent body of coke in physical contact with the form and while sealed from extraneous sources of oxygen.

Vith these and many other objects in view, which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated, and claimed.

The essential feature of the invention involved in the relation of the interior chargechamber to the enveloping fuel-chamber about the same is necessarily susceptible to structural modification without departing from the scope of the invention; but a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure l is a vertical sectional view of a clay-treating furnace constructed in accordance with the present invention and shown in its charged condition. Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating a convenient method of charging or filling' the furnace. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. Q, illustrat- Specifcaton of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 16, 1904.

Patented Sept. 12, 1905.

Serial No. 203,520.

ing the charge-former in position prior to its removal from the furnace.

Like numerals designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings.-

The clay product resulting from the process carried out by the present invention possesses certain distinct and marked characteristics and advantages over the products ordinarily known as carborunduim "siloxicon, and the like, and to distinguish the same from such analogous products I have termed it carboclay inasmuch as the latter results from the chemical change caused in clay material by the exclusive action of the carbonaceous gas evolved from a highly-heated body of carbon, (preferably coke.) This is quite distinct from those known processes provided for various combinations of carbon, silica, and oxygen, inasmuch as the present invention involves a treatment of the clay material wherein the carbonaceous gas, excluded from possible union with oxygen from extraneous sources, effects the peculiar chemical change in the clay material which from experimental analyses has been found to be deticient in carbon and yet at the same time having a remarkable degree of hardness and 30 heat-resisting qualities and also being distinctly an abrasive to a high degree.

To successfully produce the carboclay or clay product referred to, the process steps primarily resorted to consist in taking the form S5 or body of clay material and drying the same, then embedding the dried form in an envelop of carbon (preferably coke) conlined in a sealed chamber, next completely surrounding the sealed chamber with an envelop of fuel-coke, and, finally, liring the latter to bring the conlined carbon or coke to an incandescent state until the clay form is converted into the hardened product of carboclay.

In all of the experiments so far tried the best product is obtained by subjecting, as stated, the dried lforni to the action of the carbonaceous gas evolved from a conlined body of coke brought to a state of incandescence while on, against, or about the clay form and IOO in direct physical contact therewith. However, in no experiment has this incandescent body of coke or carbon been found to mix, adhere, or attach itself in any way to the clay form. Hence there is no mixing whatever, and the chemical changes are brought about entirely through the action of the carbonaceous gas.

Since the above conditions are the best lso far known for carrying out the process, the furnace of the present invention has been designed particularly with a view of embodying those conditions.

Referring to the drawings, showing the furnace in simplified form, the numeral l designates an upright furnace-casing having the walls thereof made of suitable refractory material capable of withstanding intense heat and made of any desired size or shape. However, a substantial and well-reinforced casing or body can be provided by making the same of a rectangular shape in cross-section, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, and in the construction selected for eXemplifying the invention -the furnace .casing or body 1 is provided with an open top portion 2, adapted to be completely inc-losed and sealed while the furnace is in operation by a removable dome-cover 3, having' a refractory lining 4 corresponding to that of the body of the furnace and also provided at the top with a lifting-eye 5, which may be engaged by suitable lifting-tackle for handling the cover. Also in the plane of the open top portion 2 of the furnace casing or body there is preferably built a charging-platform 6 to facilitate the introduction of the charge into the casing.

A distinctive feature of the furnace structure resides in providing the same with an interior charge-chamber 7, corresponding in cross-sectional form to that of the furnace casing or body 1, but of a narrower width and less height, whereby there is provided entirely about the said chamber 7 an enveloping fuel-chamber. All portions of the interior enveloping fuel-chamber are indirect communication, so that upon charging fuel through the open top of the furnace-casing the same will reach every part of the fuel-chamber, which lies at the sides, top, and bottom of the interior charge-chamber 7.

The interior charge-chamber 7 is formed of refractory material throughout, and essen-l tially consists of the upright connected side walls 8 and the closed bottom 9, united with the walls 8. In this formation the interior charge-chamber 7 is provided with an open top 10 and immediately above the plane of its closed bottom 9 is formed in one side thereof with a test-opening 11, piercing the wall of the furnace casing or body and designed to be closed during the operation of the furnace by a temporary plug or closure 12, of clay or equivalent material, such as usually employed for similar purposes in metallurgical furnaces.

To thoroughly reinforce the structure, the interior vcharge-chamber 7 has extended from the corners thereof the reinforce or vbrace webs 13, which join the side walls of the furnace-casing, but yet at the same time leave open pockets or spaces constituting parts of the fuel-chamber at the sides and corners of the charge-chamber 7.

l/Vithin the bottom portion of the furnace are arranged a series of supporting-arches 14, arising from the base of the furnace and joined to the closed bottom 9 of the charge-chamber 7. The supporting arches are preferably made of refractory material and are arranged in spaced relation with the intervals17 therebetween of sufiicient size to accommodate one or more bars of the fuel-grate 15, suitably supported within the bottom portion of the furnace-casing above the ash-pit 16. By reason of this spaced relation of the supportingarches 14 the intervals therebetween are in direct communication with the side portions 18 of the fuel-chamber, so that the fuel introduced into such side portions will also iill into the bottom fuel-spaces 17 at the bottom of the charge-chamber.

The top portion of the furnace-casing above the charge-chamber 7 is occupied by the top fuel-space 19 of the fuel-chamber. This top fuel-space 19 is in communication with the smoke or gas fiue 20, leading off to the stack 21.

In carrying out the present invention it may be found desirable t0 employ an ash-pit 16 of aclosed type and having connected therewith a blast-pipe 22 for supplying blast to the fire in order to secure the high degree of heat necessary for securing proper results.

The clayv material may be charged into the chamber 7 in any convenient manner, such as suggested in the drawings. This expedient, which may be resorted to, consists in employing a charge-former 23, consisting of a bucket or vessel corresponding in cross-sectional form to that of the charge-chamber 7 and of a sufficient capacity for holding the entire charge of clay material to be treated. This bucket or vessel constituting the charge-former may be provided at the top with a lifting-bail 24 for attachment thereto of the lifting-tackle 25 for raising and lowering the same. Also in the type of charge-former 23 shown in the drawings the same may be provided with a temporary releasable bottom 26. This temporary releasable bottom 26 may be held to the body of the former and released therefrom by any suitable means. However, for illustrative purposes the same is shown as having a wedging lit on the bottom edges of the former-body and of greater width than the latter to provide the projecting flange edges upon which the coke or carbon iilling is packed and will hold the said bottom at the bottom of the charge-chamber when the charge-former is removed. This is only suggestive, but is suiiicient for illustrative purposes, and it IOO IIO

should also be noted that the temporary releasable bottom 26 is formed of wood, so that it will simply be reduced to charcoal by the ring of the furnace.

The dried clay material may be placed into ISO the charge-former in any suitable way; but a practical method is shown in the drawings, and consists in lilling' the former 23 with alternating' layers of clay material and crushed or powdered coke 2T and 2S, respectively, so that each section or form of clay material will have a body of coke or carbon in direct physical contact with the top and bottom thereof, as plainly shown in both Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.

NVhiie the charge-former is in position a coke or carbon filling' 29 is packed about the same; but before completely filling' the chargecham ber the former is withdrawn, after which the crushed coke or carbon is packed into the open top of the charge-chamber, as at 30,'

thereby sealing in the charge. After thus introducing' and packing the charge in the furnace the entire fuel-chamber, made up of the spaces 17, 18, and 19, is filled with fuelcoke, making' a complete envelop for the charge and its containing-chamber. The fuel is next fired to bring' the confined coke or carbon about the clay material to a state of incandescenee, in which state it is maintained until the clay is converted into the hardened product of carboclay herein described.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any-of the many advantages thereof.

Having' thus described the invention, what is claimed, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is-

1. A furnace of the class described, comprising a closed casing' having a permanent interior refractory charge-chamber,and a fuelchamber entirely enveloping' the latter.

2. A furnace of the class described, comprising' a casing, a closed refractory chargechamber, and a fuel-space about the top, sides and bottom of said charge-chamber.

3. A clay-treating' furnace comprising' a closed refractory casing, and a permanent interior refractory charge-chamber arranged to receive the clay material and a filling' of coke, said charge-chamber having an open upper end, opening' into the fuel-space, and spaced from the walls and bottom of the furnacecasing to leave an enveloping coke-chamber thereabout.

4. A furnace of the class described comprising' an upright covered furnace-casing provided with a fixed interior chamber of less height and width than the same, said chargeehamber being open at the top and provided with a side test-opening` at the bottom and with bracing webs in the interval between the same and the furnace-walls, a series of supporting-arehes adjoining' the bottom of the charge-chamber and arranged in separated relation to provide intervening fuelspaces in communication with the fuel-spaces at the sides of the charge-chamber, and a blast connection with the furnace-casing' at the bottom thereof.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

E. L. RUTi-rmmoup, JOHN M. S'raurrna. 

